Protective Arts

KATSUJINKEN: The Life Giving Sword

Alan King had a comedy routine in the 1980s based entirely on obituaries – all culminating with the punchline “survived by his wife.” So I was amused to find this obituary:

Survived by his Wife.jpg — … survived by his wife.

But amusement was soon replaced by other emotions. Outrage at the atrocities of the Bataan Death March (a chronicle of the rescue mission to free the survivors is Ghost Soldiers) and at abandoning the Filipino warriors (the US has an abysmally pathetic record in abandoning our insurgent allies).[1] Let me be perfectly clear, even a cursory read of history will show that no one culture, place, or time has a monopoly on egregious violence or moral atrocities, so I am not chastising anything other than the sad ability of humans to be perfectly terrible to one another.

Learning from history is the best defense against repeating it. (Charlie Stross makes a similar, but far more cogent, observation.) So remember that whatever the later religio-philosophical underpinnings of Aikido in the post-war era, never forget that O’Sensei taught his art to the military elites at the Nakano school and was very much a nationalist before the war. However he may have packaged it in later years, this art we study has a very serious origin with military applicability.[2]

So how do we explain the transformation to a way of peace? Imagine the deep lesson in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. O’Sensei lost many students to combat and witnessed the horrific destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Simple violence only leads to destruction; hence a way of peace.[3]

And we should embrace this history because it contains an important reminder. Without combat-effectiveness, the higher moral values of the martial arts can never manifest. The sword that preserves life must be just as sharp and even more skillfully wielded than the killing sword. Only the superior warrior can be a pacifist. A pacifist without martial skill can only be a victim.[4]

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Killing Sword (satsujinken) and Life Giving Sword (katsujinken)

The epitome of a life-giving sword – manifest in the sword itself – is the apocryphal competition between two smiths: Goro Masamune and Sengo Muramasa. Both were exceptional craftsman and held a competition to test who could make the better blade. To test the sharpness each placed his blade in a river edge facing upstream.

As leaves and fish came downstream, Muramasa’s blade cleanly sliced everything that touched it. Masamune’s blade only cut leaves and repelled the fish.

Muramasa declared himself the better smith, but a monk passing by witnessed the competition and declared that Masamune’s blade cut only dead things and preserved the living. Masamune’s blade was a Life Giving sword. Like most great stories, this encounter was impossible. Muramasa (who is often portrayed as Masamune’s disciple) lived during the Muramachi period (between the 14th and 16th centuries) whereas Masamune was centuries earlier in the Kamakura period (between 13th and 14th centuries). [In the classic (1986) movie Highlander, Sean Connery plays Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez who wields a Masumune blade – albeit forged in 593 BC to confuse the timeline even more…]

An excellent movie presentation of the life-giving-sword is After the Rain (1999) watch closely the fight in the forest where the ronin uses only the flat of the blade and the mune (false edge). The only lethal blow is delivered by an antagonist against another.

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How does this inform the actual practice of Aikido – the nuts and bolts of body mechanics? Your arm is your sword, your hand is the blade. The shyuto is the cutting edge (the ha), the thumb is the mune (back of the blade – false edge). [4] Therefore whenever nage executes a throw with the shyuto toward uke, that is a life-taking application. The easiest demonstration is when throwing irimi-nage. The kihon deploys firm control of uke’s sternomastoid muscle to complete the connection of uke’s head to nage’s shoulder so that as nage executes the throw, uke’s chin is rotated, but the neck is supported even while being manipulated – and importantly – nage’s hand completes the arc with the thumb down (and nage’s arm in the same shape as if performing a forward roll). This is a demonstration of katsujinken. The more immediate rising then descending cut with the shyuto leading is satsujinken. Notice that this form of throw can be a direct strike and does not require the same level of control and can be executed at a variety of ranges. The kihon form of irimi nage can only be done at the grappling range.

“Verily, I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws.”
Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, Chapter 13, “The Sublime Ones”.

Wenn die Macht gnädig wird und herabkommt ins Sichtbare: Schönheit heiße ich solches Herabkommen. Und von niemandem will ich so als von dir gerade Schönheit, du Gewaltiger: deine Güte sei deine letzte Selbst-Überwältigung. Alles Böse traue ich dir zu: darum will ich von dir das Gute. Wahrlich, ich lachte oft der Schwächlinge, welche sich gut glauben, weil sie lahme Tatzen haben!

When power becomes gracious and descends into the visible — such descent I call beauty. And there is nobody from whom I want beauty as much as from you who are powerful: let your kindness be your final self-conquest. Of all evil I deem you capable: therefore I want the good from you. Verily, I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws.

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[1] Update – May 2022. Turkey continues to press the Kurds.

Update – October 2019. Again, the US has abandoned another ally. Through unilateral stupidity and against the advice of almost everyone, Donald Trump issued a general withdraw of US troops supporting the Kurds. The Economist summarized the situation all too well (see below).

[2] Morihei Ueshiba’s curriculum was eventually deemed ‘too technical’ for the students of the Nakano School and circa 1942, he was replaced with a karate instructor. Gozo Shioda recounts Ueshiba’s connection to the Nakano School:

“Ueshiba Sensei went to the Nakano school through an introduction of the director of the Military Police School, Mr. Makoto Miura. Since the Nakano School was located in Nakano in Meguro Ward and the Toyama School was located nearby in Okubo, they weren’t that far away from the Ueshiba dojo. Ueshiba Sensei also taught at the Army University in Yotsuya and at the Naval Academy. Mr. Sankichi Takahashi was the director of the Naval Academy and it was through this connection that Ueshiba Sensei taught there. At that time, Prince Takamatsu, a younger brother of Emperor Hirohito, was a student at the Naval Academy. Ueshiba Sensei regularly taught budo as a compulsory subject at the Toyama and Nakano Schools.”

[3] The cynic in me muses that the change from imperialist/ultra-nationalist to a visionary of world peace was a brilliant stratagem by a warrior who acknowledged the reality of living in an occupied nation. Ueshiba re-packaged his art to make it palatable to MacArthur who controlled post-war Japan and was prosecuting war crimes.

[4] The gun is the sword of the modern warrior tasked with preserving Peace.

[5] A link to learn terminology – the Japanese Sword Visual Glossary

CHANGES

2018 rapidly comes to a close. Looking back, this has been a transformative year. Thanks to new leadership and new ideas, Portland Aikikai found a new home, became a non-profit organization, and elected a board of directors. These are all positive changes: growth.

Growth is a powerful metaphor. We grow from children to adults. Expanding skills and knowledge is growth in potential. Membership growth leads to a stable base. But the most heartening growth is watching the transition in leadership. The growth of those individuals committed to ensuring and guiding the future of the dojo.[1]

Many years ago, Okamoto sensei told me “a dojo is not a democracy,” indicating that there must be a unified vision for what the dojo should be. Not a pluralistic amalgam of compromises, but rather a normative declaration to ensure growth along a path.

道

Do: a way, a path, a road. There needs to be a clear vision of a direction a road to follow. And following any path is to travel the exact same route that others before you blazed. In Aikido, Dōshu (道主) is the “Master of the Way” and denotes the lineal path of descent from O’Sensei. An etymological emphasis on a traditional way.

Change leading to growth bounded by the deep ruts of tradition. In an earlier >post< I outlined the lineage of the dojo because it shows the connections we all have to the foundation of the art – and to those who walked the path before us.

When Mulligan and Okamoto sensei founded the dojo there was a unified goal to make it a premier training hall for Aikido, producing high-caliber Aikidoka. To guide their vision, they had exemplars of Aikido that inspired them, those teachers who provided the ‘spark’ or inspiration to train seriously: Yamaguchi, Chiba , Tissier , Shibata sensei to name only a few. And both Mulligan and Okamoto sensei continue to inspire the next generation(s) of Aikidoists to follow our lineage.

Because of Portland Aikikai’s lineage there is a definite style to the Aikido we practice. The set of core techniques and means to practice them defines the dojo. At its essence, these stylistic differences serve as distinguishing markers but also remind us of the traditional aspects of the art. Therefore they are important to maintain.[2]

Although I have not succeeded in working my way systematically through the kihon waza – the goal I outlined for myself in January 2018 – over the course of the past month I started to demonstrate those key features of gyaku hanmi katate dori ikkyo through yonkyo that constitute foundational techniques. Polemical and rhetorical style notwithstanding, these posts attempt to capture and synthesize the essential lessons from my teachers and my teachers’ teachers that I believe constitute the key stylistic markers that are the kuden of our dojo. Traditional presentations remain critical as a means to develop a solid base from which students can grow and to ensure there is a common understanding of the goals and methods in training. This is not a dictum of conformity, rather the kihon is where we all can grow in depth.

The transmission of correct basic forms is the primary responsibility of the teaching staff. The foundation must be solid before any complexities or refinements can be added. Building a foundation is tiring work. It means paying attention to the myriad details that we all assume we do correctly but often do not: is your fundament low, shoulders relaxed, spine straight, positional relationship correct, footwork and hand work precise and clearly articulated?

Presenting and training the basic forms and excercises is the single most important duty we as sempai have to cultivate kohai. It often means sacrificing what sempai think they want to work on – variations or individual expression. Trust me, there is plenty of room for individuated expression within the basic forms and exercises because everyone has a different body. There are universal lines (based on physiology and physics) but because we each have unique abilities and limitations, each one of us will need to execute and move along those universal lines differently. Trust the form but learn to make it work for you: that is training. Look for the expression of the art. The irony is that in walking a path blazed by others, you would think there was a prescriptive way, but the better teachers are really sources of inspiration in addition to being good coaches.

Looking forward into 2019, I am excited to see how Portland Aikikai will grow as a dojo with new leadership.

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[1] Christian Tissier makes the very important observation that to revitalize Aikido younger practitioners must be given the opportunity to lead.

[2] Iwama Dojo has long considered itself the keeper of the Aikido’s true waza (takemusu Aikido) as developed post WW2. Saito sensei’s multi-volume series is well worth owning in your reference library.

KIHON – IKKYO AND NIKKYO

It has taken the entire year for me to actually start a more systematic presentation of the kihon waza, which was my goal in January. And so it goes. Ikkyo through yonkyo – the first through fourth techniques.

Gyakuhanmi katatedori sets up the encounter. We focus on nage and the count.

Step with the back foot to strike atemi. The feet are parallel and nage is square to uke.
Nage’s striking hand now flows to uke’s elbow to destabilize uke. Nage simultaneously draws the grasped hand with the front foot 90-degrees to the flank.
Nage’s striking hand then takes uke’s grabbing hand to strip it and return it toward uke’s face.
Uke protects by raising the elbow, which nage then takes for the control and executes a downward cut for ikkyo.

The geometry of the footwork needs to be precise. Kihon waza should be didactic and regimented to ensure accurate transmission and execution. The angles of the hand work also requires discipline to allow fluidity to develop without inculcated bad habits (allowing openings).

Keep the cutting rose in mind. This is your mental map uke is at the center. Your atemi is on the E ->A line. The destabilization is H->D. Your return is D->H.

The footwork is a simple angle change – move in, strike, break balance and flank. Return through uke’s center from the superior angle.

The kihon handwork is a control/strip. Nage grasps uke’s hand to force a release and keeps a compression grab to execute a strike and control throughout the movement. Note that the grabbed hand must act as a spear-thrust to help drive uke’s response (elbow compression)

The strip is from the top (the high gate) meaning you must cover and control uke’s grab hand.

The second variation would be to come from the low gate which replicates the sword movement and looks like ai-hanmi insofar as nage does not grab uke’s hand/wrist but rather maintains a pressure contact.

low gate.jpg — pressure compress the low gate

As with almost all techniques, once contact/control is established with the upper body, the driving force is the lower half – engage those glutes and quads starting with the feet. Lower your fundament below the line of your uke’s hips by softening your knees then drive up and through uke’s position while pressing uke’s elbow toward their ear and simultaneously cutting down (uke’s elbow is your kissaki).

Uke is now controlled, their arm parallel to the mat and your vector of travel through their center is done with a downward focus on uke’s shoulder – the bursa should hit first to close any tsuki (openings) afforded to uke’s free hand. Following uke to the mat, nage drops the inside knee first to uke’s arm-pit while keeping a vertical pressure through the controlled arm toward the shoulder. Using the outside leg as a brace, nage can now sit seiza as uke’s arm slides down nage’s thigh to the arm trap. Sitting proper seiza, back straight, toes up, buttocks on heels, nage can slide uke’s arm flat to the mat.

In every pin where uke’s arm is flat against the primary rule is this: uke’s arm must be above the line defined by uke’s scapula. This is why nage’s inside knee must be at uke’s armpit and be the first point to touch the mat. Nage’s knee defines the pivot point and contact point so when nage slides uke’s arm down nage’s thigh, nage can maintain and increase the controlling pressure down and into the mat.

Arm above the scapula, nage should use the shyuto to control uke’s elbow (nerve compression) and the grasping hand needs to roll uke’s trapped hand so that uke’s shyuto is against the mat. Nage then applies a compressing pressure – palm to back of uke’s hand with attentive focus on uke’s index finger which needs drive toward uke’s ear.

In the second variation (which essentially is ai-hanmi) nage never grabs uke’s hand, therefore the pin is achieved when uke’s arm is flat against the mat, nage will press down on uke’s elbow but lift at uke’s wrist. Opposite force vectors to achieve a pain compliance (attacking the bone structure).

From ikkyo, all other techniques flow. [1]

Nikkyo is achieved just like ikkyo with only the pins being different. Nikkyo essentially results from uke being less docile once taken to the mat, necessitating a more robust pin. The omote version results from uke trying to rise, forcing nage to drive more forcefully on the shoulder and raising uke’s arm vertical. From that vertical position nage should pull uke’s arm tight to nage’s chest (eliminate all slack), then cradle uke’s elbow and forearm as nage leans forward from the bladder, keep your weight down but lift your tailbone (coccyx), and feeling uke’s arm can travel no farther, turn towards uke’s head without allowing the trap to loosen. This pin attacks the structure of the shoulder.

The ura variant has two primary approaches, both however result from uke being more stable and thereby preventing nage from coming directly through uke’s center. Meeting resistance, nage smoothly adapts by rotating to the outside line. Adapt and overcome! If this rotational energy is sufficient to bring uke belly to mat, then pin the arm flat and as uke tries to rise again, bring uke’s controlled wrist to the chest lean forward to keep compression and nage uses the free hand to control uke’s forearm which, grasping above uke’s wrist, is levered down – nage closes his elbow to ribs. A two-point bone lock that concentrates all forces at the base of uke’s wrist at the carpal bones (i.e., all those bones below the metacarpals).

Details to focus on for the nikkyo pin: Make sure that uke’s thumb is firmly pressed into your chest – allow no air gaps. The bones of uke’s hand should be aligned with uke’s radius and ulna – do not focus on ‘bending’ uke’s wrist. I describe this as bone locking for a reason – we are exploiting anatomical weaknesses. This compression is high to low (since uke is at a lower level – closer to the ground than nage).

A second variant occurs when uke does not go entirely to the mat with one rotation or when uke rises faster than nage can apply the pin. In this instance uke and nage are roughly at the same elevation. Therefore, nage must start the pin by compressing uke’s hand to nage’s chest, but then nage should force uke’s elbow up, such that nage can now palm uke’s elbow to do a dual vector compression – treat uke’s forearm like an accordion: drive your chest and uke’s hand toward uke’s elbow point which is being driven down and toward nage with nage’s free hand.

As part of kuden, I have shown Mulligan sensei’s ‘snake,’ reverse grip and use of the head as augmentations to the kihon. Keep those tricks in your repertoire.

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[1] A more refined approach would mimic Tissier sensei’s presentation but I would submit that one cannot focus on his flow pattern without a solid understanding of the basics outlined above.